Risk and Protective Factors of Child Delinquency. OJJDP Child Delinquency Bulletin Series.

Sparked by high-profile cases involving children who commit violent crimes, public concerns regarding child delinquents have escalated. Compared with juveniles who first become involved in delinquency in their teens, child delinquents (offenders younger than age 13) face a much greater risk of becoming serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) formed the Study Group on Very Young Offenders to examine the prevalence and frequency of offending by children younger than 13. This Study Group identified particular risk and protective factors that are crucial to developing effective early intervention and protection programs for very young offenders. This bulletin focuses on four types of risk and protective factors: individual, family, peer, and school and community. (Contains 95 references.) (GCP)